Page 18 July 2010 The Southern Cross
www.adelaide.catholic.org.au
feature
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Adelaide journalist and Sacred
Hear t College old scholar Jessica
Whiting is working as a volunteer
with Catholic Communications
Solomons in Honiara for six
months as par t of an AusAID
Australian Youth Ambassadors
for Development program. Here
is Jessica's first-hand account of
living and working in the Solomon
Islands.
Power shor tages, rampant computer viruses
and an unreliable internet ser vice are among
the challenges I'm facing as a volunteer with
Catholic Communications Solomons (CCS) in
the Solomon Islands.
The Honiara-based organisation links the
Catholic community, through the countr y's
three dif ferent dioceses (Honiara, Auki and
Gizo) by way of radio, newspaper ar ticles,
newsletters and the internet.
With a population of more than 500,000
people -- about 20 per cent of whom are
Catholic -- spread over close to 1000
islands, it's a big job.
In my role as a communications officer,
I'm helping write news ar ticles and press
releases, preparing media education
seminars for church staff and Catholic
students, updating church's website, and
working to produce newsletters for both CCS
and local schools.
A major emphasis of the Youth Ambassadors
program is building the skills of local people,
so I'm also conducting weekly workshops
with staf f, teaching them to use new
software, and helping to improve their news
writing and grammar.
A highlight was helping organise and run a
seminar with students from five local high
schools, teaching them about news reading
and video cameras.
It was so rewarding to see the look on the
students' faces when they watched their
carefully-rehearsed news segments played
back later, with most viewing themselves on
screen for the first time.
Some of the challenges facing volunteers
in the Solomon Islands include lack of
resources, unreliable internet access, and, of
course, the language barrier.
The Solomon Islands has embraced the
internet -- the Catholic Church having
launched their website two years ago -- but
a lack of anti-virus software and unreliable
ser vers mean the satellite internet
connection drops in and out and many
computers are slow or don't work.
For most people in remote provinces internet
access is yet to reach them so radio is the
most reliable form of communication.
The welcoming and friendly nature of the
Solomon Islanders makes living and working
here a pleasure. I've found learning Pidgin,
the local spoken language, and respecting
local customs a good way to meet local
people and make new friends.
On weekends there is plenty to see and
do, such as going hiking, swimming and
snorkelling, doing overnight trips to nearby
islands, or just hanging with other volunteers.
On Sundays, the predominantly Christian
population cram into their local church. The
Melanesian people have beautiful voices and
to hear the sound of hymns fill the Holy Cross
Church in central Honiara is an experience
not to be missed.
Churches play an impor tant role throughout
the Solomon Islands, especially in rural
areas, and ever ybody tolerates the dif ferent
religious groups.
A common question to be asked when
meeting new people is 'which church do you
belong to' because of the impor tance of
religion in ever yday life.
I'm not yet halfway through my six month
placement and I'm looking for ward to what
the next few months will bring.
While I'm here to help others the beauty
of volunteering is also learning new things
about yourself and other cultures, including,
in my case, not becoming frustrated at rogue
computers and frequent blackouts!
̌ Australian Youth Ambassadors for
Development website:
www.ayad.com.au Catholic Church of the
Solomon Islands website:
www.catholichurchsolomonislands.com
Building communication skills
PLAY BACK: Jessica Whiting with local school students who attended her media education seminar and had a chance to view themselves
on screen for the first time.